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Extending the Narrative: Mike Magers and Ukiyo-e
From dives off the coast near Toba to intimate views within the ateliers of artisans, Michael Magers imbues each of his photographs with a story.
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[Press Release] The Floating World in Full Bloom: Woodblock Prints of the 19th Century
On view: Mar. 6 - May 23, 2025
[Press Release] Dawn of Ukiyo-e: Woodblock Prints of the 17th & 18th Centuries
On view: Jan. 9– Feb. 28,2025
Press Release - Honor Among Outlaws: Selected Works from Kuniyoshi’s 108 Heroes of the Popular Suikoden
On view: Sept. 12 - Oct. 25, 2024
Summer Nights: Dusk Till Dawn
This blog was written by Tristan Madden during his 2024 summer internship at Ronin Gallery.
Welcome Masahiko Minami to New York City
Opening Reception for 2024 Ronin Gallery Onbeat Artist-in-residence Masahiko Minami
Snowfall at Scale: Katsutoshi Yuasa’s Monumental Woodblock Print “Summer Snow” (2022)
Katsutoshi Yuasa. “Summer Snow.” 2022. ed. 2/3. Oil-based woodcut on paper. 78.75” x 118“. Ronin Gallery. JPR-210057.
Celebrating the Harvest Moon with Tsukimi Dango
A special full moon will illuminate the evening sky this Friday night (Sept. 29th, 2023), marking an auspicious occasion in many East Asian cultures. Known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, or Chushu no Meigetsu in Japanese, the celebration signals the beginning of the annual harvest and usually falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar.
Extending the Narrative: Mike Magers and Ukiyo-e
From dives off the coast near Toba to intimate views within the ateliers of artisans, Michael Magers imbues each of his photographs with a story.
Chefs, Shokunin, and the Moments in Between: Michael Magers on Japan
In Chefs, Shokunin, and the Moments in Between, Michael Magers considers his enduring interest in Japan and Japanese culture in his own words.
Hokusai’s Great Wave Sets Record Price of $2.75M at Christie’s
Asia week is over, the deluge of auctions and private sales has concluded, and the dust is settling on a new reality - Hokusai’s Under the Wave off Kanagawa, better known as the Great Wave, sold for $2.75M at Christie’s, New York, a new world record price.
Opening Weekend for Wanderlust: Hiroshige's Journey Through the 60-odd Provinces
This month we opened our latest exhibition Wanderlust: Hiroshige’s Journey Through the 60-odd Provinces with three days of celebration. From sake flights and culinary delights paired with select provinces, to a gallery walkthrough featuring some of our favorite designs, we invited guests to immerse themselves in Hiroshige’s Japan.
A New Generation: Ichikawa Danjuro XIII
The name Ichikawa Danjuro is perhaps the most famous name on the kabuki stage, renowned for a dynamic acting style and iconic roles for more than three centuries. On October 31st, the name reached its thirteenth generation as Ichikawa Ebizo XI (né Horikoshi Takatoshi) succeeded to the name Ichikawa Danjuro XIII. He gave his first performance under his new name in the role of Musashibo Benkei in the play Kanjincho at the Kabuki-za Theater in Tokyo. Though officially announced in May 2020, the succession was postponed due to Covid-19 safety measures. Danjuro XIII succeeds his father, Ichikawa Danjuro XII, who died in 2013. At the same ceremony, the actor’s son Horikoshi Kangen made his kabuki debut under the name Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII.
A Brief Introduction to Ukiyo-e
While the mention of Japanese woodblock prints may call to mind lavish courtesans and dynamic actors, the roots of the medium can be traced to the 8th century. At this time, woodblock printmaking traveled east with Buddhism through China and Korea, to Japan. In 764, Empress Koken eagerly embraced this medium and commissioned the Hyakumanto Darani, or the “One Million Pagodas and Dharani Prayers.” Each wooden pagoda housed a dainty Buddhist sutra, printed as a declaration of devotion and a plea for atonement. The medium largely retained this religious association and spiritual function until the Edo period (1615-1868).
Hokusai: Another Side of Genius Exhibition Catalog
From murals in London to postage stamps in Japan, Hokusai’s Great Wave (Under the Wave off Kanagawa) is one of the most recognizable works in the history of art. In its ubiquity, the image has become a shorthand for many things–not only for Japanese art or Japan, but also more abstractly, as an unstoppable force, a crashing cultural wave. But what is overlooked in the shadow of the wave?
A Closer Look: Yorimasa and the Nue
From vengeful spirits to mischievous monsters, ukiyo-e teem with supernatural beings and spine-chilling tales. With Halloween upon us, we turn to one such tale–the story of Yorimasa and the nue–as told by two masters of the fearsome and fantastic, Kuniyoshi and Yoshitoshi. The nue is a chimeral monster with the head of a monkey, the body of a badger (or tanuki), the legs of a tiger, and a hissing snake as a tail, depending on the source.